The politics of cancel culture

As part of our Young Voices for AusBiz initiative, year 12 student Matilda Meikle investigates the role that social media, political correctness and celebrity status play in determining who gets ‘cancelled’ and why.

Word: Matilda Meikle

We live in a world where information comes from the click of a button. Where anything and everything is recorded and kept online for decades. But with this new-found access and connectivity comes the growing ability to leave an online footprint; for our past mistakes to be rediscovered years later. A phenomenon that has led to what’s known as ‘cancel culture’.

This culture is at the forefront of an increasingly polarised debate, making it important to question how society can use the media to share their voice of change the way prominent figures are seen in the public eye. But what exactly is cancel culture and why are the politics surrounding it so heated? Harper’s Magazine’s ‘A Letter on Justice and Open Debate’, published in July 2020, suggests that “powerful protests for racial and social justice are leading to overdue demands for police reform...

But this needed reckoning has also intensified a new set of moral attitudes and political commitments that tend to weaken our norms of open debate.” This highlights the fundamental balance struck in this passionate argument – one that goes beyond the boundaries of whether to ‘cancel’ celebrities and companies and speaks to ideas of free speech and protest.

WHAT IS CANCEL CULTURE?

Dictionary.com defines cancel culture as “withdrawing support for public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive.”

This notion that a person or entity can be ‘cancelled’ or blocked from public position is used in an attempt to revoke the status and power of those deemed unworthy. Look at Justin Timberlake, whose actions surrounding his 2002 break-up with Britney Spears were brought back into question after the Framing Britney Spears documentary was released earlier this year. The backlash led to a loss of status for the star, and he took to social media to make a public apology.

Cancel culture shares close similarities with tall poppy syndrome, which has existed in Australia for generations. However, the notion of cutting down those who excel or rise above the norm is replaced by the removal of a public platform for those who don’t remain politically correct.

There are two clear sides in this debate: those who believe cancel culture is an expression of free speech that helps force accountability on individuals abusing their power; and those who believe it doesn’t leave room for human error – which is an unavoidable part of being alive.

THE FREE SPEECH ARGUMENT

For many, cancel culture is used most basically as an expression of free speech, and as a protest: a way of calling for better behaviour in our role models and public figures. For example, Harry Potter author JK Rowling has fallen under scrutiny for her transphobic beliefs. She stated in a tweet in June 2020 that “erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives,” conforming to antitrans views. This resulted in a heavy backlash, and Rowling was cancelled as a way of protesting against her discriminatory beliefs.

However, cancel culture is also a very powerful tool against misogyny and sexism. Women’s voices have been silenced for generations, so contemporary feminist movements attempt to reject sexism in the media by voicing their outrage.

This is, perhaps, cancel culture’s most political use, as a way to vocalise anger and unite female voices as one against the standards accepted in our most public and prominent people. It stems from an attempt to hold people accountable for their words and actions.

Many believe that we make the most impact by banding together, and that we should use the platform of free speech afforded to us to make change in our world, holding individuals and businesses to a higher standard through the medium of cancel culture.

THE HUMAN ERROR ARGUMENT

However, where there is expression of opinion, there is also the notion that all humans are flawed and should be allowed to make mistakes. Former US President Barack Obama, during the Obama Foundation summit in 2019, suggested that “people who do really good stuff have flaws," and that cancel culture is “not activism. That’s not bringing about change.” He echoed the message central to the fight against cancel culture – one that acknowledges the imperfection to all human life, and argues that we cannot completely disregard an individual for an inevitable part of their existence. Controversy surrounding cancel culture extends even further. As some suggest, it is becoming too radical and extreme as the list of celebrities dumped from positions of power continues to grow. It’s argued that their “objectionable or offensive” charges are often small and don’t outweigh the good they’ve done for the wider community. If any moment of human weakness can result in being ‘cancelled’, doesn’t that make it an inevitable outcome for everyone?

IS CANCEL CULTURE NECESSARY?

What does cancel culture actually do? JK Rowling’s books remain as popular as ever, suggesting she suffered no particular losses when ‘cancelled’, even when called out by stars of the Harry Potter movies. In fact, of the long list of cancelled individuals – think Ellen DeGeneres, Lea Michele, Justin Timberlake – most continue to reap the benefits of stardom and will suffer no major setbacks in their career. So maybe cancel culture is not the answer, and we need some other method of protest to ensure our voices are heard?

With the politics surrounding cancel culture becoming more and more polarised, it’s time to assess how beneficial this phenomenon is to our society. While it’s supposed to unite people as they speak for change, it instead results in heated debate. Perhaps, in order to make the most impact as a collective, we should use our free speech and access to the media to challenge the world around us in a more supportive and constructive way. We must use our voices to educate and positively impact others, rather than ripping people down.

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